Tabular calculator for measurement of logs



(No Model.)

C. RICH.

TABULAR CALCULATOR POE MEASUREMENT OF LOGS.

Patented Dec. 1, 1885.

6 W W m .m

. rm? lb 8 E m N H W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES RICH, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

TABULAR CALCULATOR FOR MEASUREMENT OF LOGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,332, dated December1, 1885.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES RICH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Log-Measurers, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

My invention has relation to improvements in devices for measuring logs,timber, and the like; and the novelty consists in the construction,combination, and arrangement of the various parts for servicesubstantially as hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointedout in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a device of the characterstated which shall accurately measure the diameter of a log, a piece oftimber, without the danger and a11- noyance of the operator mistakingthe figures or measurement, so common in connection with the log-stickat present in use, and which shall be simple, strong, and durable inconstruction and efficient in operation.

In the drawings hereto annexed, Figurel is a perspective view of alog-measuring device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a centrallongitudinal section thereof, and Fig. 3 is a detached detailview of theslide. Figs. 4. and 5 are a front and end elevation, respectively, of aregisteringdial particularly adapted for use in connection with myinvention.

Like letters of reference indicate like or corresponding parts in thefigures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a standard, preferablyrectangular in form, as shown, having ascalc containing the necessarydivisions into feet or inches, if preferred, as at a, having a handle,a, at its upper end and a foot or projection, a, at its lower end, saidfoot being suitably secured to the standard, and having a beveled orsharpened upper surface, as at-a and a pointed outer end, as at a.

B designates the slide, carrying at itslower end a registering-foot, b,of similar shape and construction, the lower face of said foot beingbeveled, as at b, and adapted to meet or register with the beveled upperface of the standard-foot (o The slide B comprises two pieces,

B B arranged on the front and rear faces of the standard, respectively,and connected together at their lower ends by side plates, B secured totheir edges by nails, screws, or otherwise. The front plate, B, has anopening, b through which the divisions or marks on the scale can beseen. The rear plate, B, is longer than the front wall, and at its upperend it has a handle or turned portion, 0.

Between the meeting surfaces of the standard and back plate, B isarranged a spring, 0, adapted to hold the slide in anyposition on thestandard, on which it is adapted to be moved up or down by hand inmeasuring the logs or timber. One end of the spring is pivoted orsecured, as at c, to the back plate, B of the slide, leaving theopposite end free to bear against the rear face of the standard and holdthe slide in position thereon.

The operation is as follows: The lower end or foot of the standard isfitted under one side of the log or piece of timber, and the slide ismoved up or down until its foot or pointer rests on the opposite side ofthe log or timber to that on which the foot of the standard rests, thediameter or length of the log being indicated on the scale a of thestandard, and observed through the opening in the frontplate, B, of theslide.

I will now proceed to describe the dial or scale shown in Figs. i and 5of the drawings.

D designates a dial-plate, in the form of a segment,having .a reducedlower end,wl1ich is pivoted at d to a handle, E, the dial-plate lyingbeneath the bar and fitting closely against the under face thereof. Thehandle E preferably comprises a flat rectangular barhaving its lower endfinished or turned to provide a hand-piece, as at e, and bifurcated orslotted at its opposite end, as at E, a cross-bar, 6, connecting thearms of the slotted portion near their outer ends, the slotted portion Ebeing formed in the middle of the bar, extending longitudinally thereof.

F designates a plate secured by means of screws or nails to one of thearms of the slotted or bifurcated portion, and having aseries offorwardly-projecting perforated lugs, f, separated from each other by aseries of spaces intermediately arranged between the lugs.

A designates a series of plates or flaps adapted to {lie parallel witheach other and transversely across the longitudinally-slotted portion ofthe handle-bar E. Each of the plates may have round or pointed frontends, as at g, and at their rearends they are notched at each side, asat g, and provided with a rearwardlyprojecting pivotal lug, g ,pe1f0-rated transversely, and adapted to fit between two of the lugs of theplate F in the space between the same.

I-I designates a pivot rod or bolt passed transversely through the lugsof the plates F G to pivotally connect the several parts togetherwithout danger of displacement.

It will be observed that each plate can be thrown back out of line withits fellow plates and independently thereof without disturbing the same.The notched portions of the flap enables the lug to fit snugly betweenthe lugs of the plate F, and to allow said flaps to lie closelytogether, and hide or cover entirely the slotted portion E of the bar E.

The dial-plate is divided into a number of spaces, h, by a series ofcurved lines, 45 'i, drawn from side to side thereof, and concentricwith the outer curved edge thereof and with each other, and a series oftransverse slanting lines, j j, which cross and intersect the lines 2'i, as shown, and thus provide the spaces, the slanting lines jconverging toward the pivot of the dial-plate.

At the outer curved edge and the side edges of the dial-plate isindicated the diameter of the logs or timber, and the length thereof,respectively--that is to say, on the upper outer edge of the dial-plateis placed in each space a number indicating the diameter of the log, asfrom 16 to 25, and 011 the side edges thereof is placed a number in eachof the spaces indicating the length of the log, as from 10 to 18.

The scale herein shown is made and arranged according to the Cumberlandriver measure, but it is obvious that the rule known to the art asScribners rule, or other scale may be substituted therefor withoutdeparting from the principle of my invention.

The device described is used conjointly with the measuring device, andby employing the same the number of feet in a piece of timber or log ofa given dimension can be immediately ascertained without the necessityof computing the measurements. The space at the intersection of thelinescontains a number which is the product of the length and diameter of alog or piece or timber.

The operation of this part of my device is as follows: To ascertain thenumber of feet in a log of given dimensions, which have been ascertainedby the device shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and the handle moved to lieparallel with the vertical lines indicating the diameter of the log,andthe flap or plate lying over the line which contains the numberindicating the length of the log,is turned back to expose the figuresindicating the number of feet in the log.

In the accompanying drawings Ihave illustrated the scale known to theart as the Cumberland river scale, which contains approximately thenumber of feet in a log of given dimension after the slabs or pieces onthe sides or edges of the log have been cut oft, thus allowing for thewaste, &c.

To illustrate the use of the device, we will suppose the log is fourteenfeet in length on the side and nineteen inches in diameter. Thedial-plate or the handle is turned on its pivot until the forwardslotted end of the handle lies immediately over the figure 19, at theupper edge of the dial, as shown in the drawings. The flap G,lying overthe figure at the intersection of the line containing the figures 14 and19, is turned back on its pivot, thus exposing the figure 149, whichindicates approximately the number of feet in the log or piece oftimber, according to the scale employed, after deducting the quantitylost by waste in sawing the logs.

If desired, each of the flaps may contain the figure which shows thelength of the log, as shown in Fig. 4, and the front end of the bar Emay be cut away, as at E to disclose through the same the figureindicating the diameter of the log.

Various changes in the form and proportion of parts and details ofconstruction may be made with out departing from the principle orsacrificing the advantages of my inventiomthe essential features ofwhich will be readily understood from the foregoing description,taken inconnection with the drawings.

I do not desire in this application to claim the devices shown in Figs.1, 2, and 8 of the drawings, as I would have it understood that Ireserve the right to embrace the same in a subsequent application.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a log-calculating device, the combination of a dial-plate havingat its edges series of ordinals corresponding to the dimensions of thelog, a slotted handle to which the dialplate is pivoted, a rod securedto the handle adjacent the slot therein, and a series ofindependently-pivoted flaps arranged to close the slot independently ofeach other to expose the figure on the dial beneath the flap, as setforth.

2. In a log calculating device, the com- ICO IIO

bination of the dial-plate having series of figures at its edgescorresponding to the dimensions of the log and a scale to indicate thenumber of feet of lumber board measure therein, slotted handle pivotedto said dialplates and a series of independently-pivoted flaps having afigure to indicate one of the dimensions of the log and adapted to bethrown back to expose the figure lying beneath the said flap on thedial-plate, as set forth.

3. I11 a log-calculating device, the combination of a dial-platc havingseries of figures at its upper and side edges corresponding to thedimensions of the log and a scale to indicate the number of feet oflumber board measure therein, a handle pivoted to said dial-plate Intestimony that I claim the foregoing as and having a longitudinal slotand an outer my own I have hereto affixed my signature 1n 1o cutawayend,E,and aseries of independentlypresence of two witnesses.

pivoted flaps having a figure to indicate one o of the dimensions of thelog and adapted to CHARLES RICH be thrown back to expose the figure onthe Witnesses:

scale lying beneath the said flap on the dial- J OE HYRoNEMUs, plate, asset forth. A. S. CAMP.

